Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Share investment is often considered only\nfor the wealthy. However, the story of a domestic servant named Neeltgen\nCornelis proves that the courage to seize opportunities can come from\nanyone, even those with very small incomes.<\/p>\n
Neeltgen\u2019s interest in investing in the VOC began with her employer,\nDirck van Os, who happened to be a director of the Vereenigde\nOost-Indische Compagnie (VOC) in 1602, during the period when the\nNetherlands controlled Indonesia.<\/p>\n
At that time, the VOC made a public share offering in one of the\nworld\u2019s first IPOs. There were no social status restrictions for\nprospective investors. Anyone was allowed to buy shares, including\nordinary workers like Neeltgen.<\/p>\n
Neeltgen boldly used all her savings to buy shares in the giant\ntrading company VOC in 1602. That brave decision made her name recorded\nas one of the first retail investors in the history of the world\u2019s\ncapital markets.<\/p>\n
From the bottom of her heart, she actually wanted to invest in the\nVOC. She believed the VOC would yield great profits. However, on the\nother hand, she was also confused: where would the money come from?<\/p>\n
As a maid, her daily wage was less than fifty cents. That amount of\nmoney was only enough to meet daily needs. As a result, she wavered\nabout investing from day to day.<\/p>\n
Until finally, at the end of August when the VOC\u2019s initial share\noffering was about to close, she changed her mind.<\/p>\n
\"She thought she would always regret it if she did not invest now. As\na result, she took a deep breath and took out her savings,\" wrote\nPetram.<\/p>\n
From the savings of her hard work as a domestic helper, she set aside\n100 guilders to buy VOC shares. She then handed the money over to her\nemployer.<\/p>\n
The name Neeltgen Cornelis was thus recorded as a holder of VOC\nshares, albeit a very small stake compared to others. At that time, VOC\nbosses put in large sums of money. Some invested 85,000 guilders,\n65,000, or even 45,000 guilders.<\/p>\n
So, did Neeltgen profit from buying VOC shares?<\/p>\n
According to Petram, yes, but only briefly because Neeltgen sold her\nVOC share ownership in October 1603, a year after making the purchase.\nShe sold all her shares to Jacques de Pourcq.<\/p>\n
In fact, if she had held on continuously, the 100 guilders could have\nturned into thousands of guilders. Or at the very least, according to\nPetram, VOC shareholders could receive spices at any time as a form of\ndividend.<\/p>\n
This is considering that in the years following the IPO, the VOC\nproved to be the largest company in the world thanks to its success in\nselling and controlling spices from the Indonesian archipelago.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/maids-bold-gamble-on-shares-using-her-wages-yields-unexpected-results-1781344275", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }